Such an apparatus is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,317 and usually forms part of a receiving station of a product-sorting apparatus. Connected to such a sorting apparatus are as many receiving stations as there are weight or quality classes wherein the products are to be sorted by the sorting apparatus.
Sorting apparatuses can be set at different operating speeds, depending on the desired treatment capacity. The products discharged from the main or feed conveyor of the sorting apparatus traverse a fall trajectory which depends on the speed of travel of this main conveyor. Also during the starting and stopping of the main conveyor, changes occur in the fall trajectory traversed by the discharged products. To enable the discharged products to be received at the same location, independently of the speed at the moment of discharge, the discharging moment of the products should be advanced when the speed of travel of the main conveyor increases, or postponed with its speed decreases. A solution to this problem is known from, inter alia, EP-B-0.098.733, which describes a container disposed above the main conveyor and containing electrically operable discharge members, which, when energized, provide for the discharge of a product from a product carrier of the main conveyor. Via a linearly slidable bar, the container with discharge members is displaceable in the direction of movement of the main conveyor, or opposite thereto, which slidable bar is driven by a driving mechanism directly coupled tot he drive motor for the main conveyor.